Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to develop and implement national evidence-based clinical guidelines for adult gender identity services across NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England will publish a proposed clinical commissioning policy position on the use of masculinising and feminising hormone medications for the clinical indication of gender dysphoria later this year, for the purpose of public consultation, including the outcome of a number of evidence reviews.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are working to finalise the Defence Invesment Plan (DIP) and the Prime Minister is determined to publish it before the NATO summit.
Our aim is to ensure decisions in the DIP are robust and support the development of both current and future capabilities, helping to drive the transformation of our Armed Forces described in the Strategic Defence Review.
It is the first zero-based review of Defence’s budgets in eighteen years and goes significantly further than the last Government’s Equipment Plan by looking across every budget line, including people and infrastructure. In the meantime, routine budget management and prioritisation decisions in the MOD are being conducted in a way that is coherent with the DIP.
We are not letting the DIP delay us from doing the things we know we need to do. We have signed 4,010 Defence contracts since July 2024, including 1,335 with a value of £1 million or more, and spent more than £31 billion with UK industry last year – an above inflation increase in spending.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase the use of hydrogen in the transport system.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is supporting the transition to low carbon fuels, including hydrogen and its derivatives, in transport through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate.
Alongside this, the Department is advancing hydrogen research, development and demonstration through programmes such as the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID), the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), the Advanced Fuels Fund, the Zero Emission Flight (ZEF) Demonstrator Challenge and the Civil Aviation Authority’s Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge.
The Government will publish a renewed Hydrogen Strategy in 2026 to sharpen priorities and deepen industry collaboration.